Direct-acting steam-engine.



No. 675,959. Patented lune II, I90l. W. J. LOOMIS &. A. A. KARGHER.

DIRECT ACTING STEAM ENGINE.

(Application filed Jan. 22, 1901.) (No Modal.) 2 Shoots-Shoat l.

IN VE N T0195 $211M, (a/2;, 4km, B Y WM A TTOHNEY No. 675,959. Patentedlune ll, l90l. W. .l. LOOMIS & A. A. KARCHEB.

DIRECT ACTING STEAM ENGINE.

(Application filed an. as, 1901. (No Model.) 2 Shaota8hoet 2.

WITNESSES //v VEN T085 M 10mm; (4224 B) %M yawn [W A TTORNE Y \VILL J.LOOMIS AND ARTHUR A. KARCIIER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DIRECT-ACTING STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part cf Letters Patent No. 675,959, dated June 11, 1901.

Application filed January 22, 1901. Serial No. 44,260. (No model.)

To all 14-71mm it TIMI/Z] concern:

Be it known that we,W1LL J. Looms, residing at No. 1001 Arch street, andARTHUR A. KARCHER,residing at No. 1016 Wallace street, in the city andcounty of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, citizens of theUnited States, have invented a new and useful Improvement inDirect-Acting Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

Ourinvention relates to direct-actingsteamengines; and our object is toprovide an engine of this class suitable for use as a motor for vehiclesof the automobile type. An engine adapted to such use should combineuniformity of driving effort, an absence of deadpoints, ease instarting, stopping, and reversing, simplicity in construction andoperation, and compactness in form. WVe attain these objects by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 isa view of the entire engine looking down upon the same from above. Fig.2 is a vertical section of the engine on the line X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa longitudinal section through the crank-pit and through one pair of thesteam-cylinders on the line Z Z, Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 the crank-pit casing 1 incloses the working parts of theengine, with the exception of the valve connections. The shaft 2 is adouble crank shaft rotating in the crankpit casing 1, being mounted insuitable bearings in the ends thereof, as indicated in Fig. 3.

Upon the crank-pit casing 1, Fig. 1, are mounted the single-actingsteam-cylinders 3, 4, 5, and 6, arranged in pairs, the cylinders 3 and 4being side by side and parallel each to each, and the cylinders 5 and 6being in like manner side by side and parallel each to each. The axes ofthe pair 3 4 are at an angle of ninety degrees with the axes of the pair5 6, the axes of each pair intersecting at the center of the shaft 2, asmore clearly appears in Fig. 2.

The pipe 9 supplies the steam-chests 7 and 8, Fig. 1., the steam-chest 7communicating with the steam-cylinders 3 and 4 and the steam-chest Scommunicating with the steamcylinders 5 and 6. All four cylindersexhaust through the pipe 10.

The steam-cylinders 3, 4, 5, and G are furnished, as shown in Fig. 2,with the pistonheads 11, 12, 13, and 14 and piston-rods 15, 1G, 17, and13, the latter being pivoted to their respective piston-heads andcoupled directly to the cranks of the shaft 2. The piston-rods ofopposite cylinders are coupled to the same crank, as indicated in Fig.Thus, referring to Fig. 1, the piston-rods of cylinders 3 and 5 arecoupled to one crank of the shaft and the piston-rods of cylinders 4 and6 are coupled to the other crank of the shaft.

In Fig. 2, 19 and 20 are slide-valves of any suitable pattern Working inthe steam-chests 7 and Sand controlling the admission of steam to eachpair of cylinders. A sectional view of slide-valve 10 is shown in Fig.3.

Upon one end of the shaft 2 is mounted the sliding eccentric 21, Figs. 1and 3, of ordinary pattern, With Which each of the slidevalves 10 and 20are connected by the arms or levers 22, 23, and 24 and 25, 26, and 27.The sliding eccentric 21 is controlled by the collar 28, Fig. 3, whichis designed to be actuated by a lever in the ordinary manner to start,stop, or reverse the engine.

The relative position of the four pistonheads with their rods at a fixedpoint in the rotation of the shaft 2 is indicated in Fig. 2. Therotation of the shaft being from left to right, the piston-head 12 ofthe cylinder 4 is in mid-stroke downward. The piston-head 14 of cylinder6 on the opposite side is about to take steam on the downstroke. Thepiston-head 13 of cylinder 5 is at the end of its downstroke and isabout to rise, and the piston-head ll of cylinder 3 is in the middle ofits rise. The position of piston-head 11 has not been indicated in Fig.2 because it is di rectly behind piston-head 12. It may be observed thatwhile Fig. 2 is mainly a section through the crank-pit casing andcylinders 4 and 6 the position of all four piston-heads and piston-rodsand their connection with the cranks of the shaft is also indicated, ashereinabove described. The cylinders 3, 4, 5, and 6 being single-acting,the power applied by the piston-rods is wholly a push, each rod drivingthe shaft through approximately a third of its revolution. Thus at anypoint of revolution of shaft 2 there is one piston-rod in full stroke,that stroke being taken up and carried on by another piston-rod beforethe efficiency of the first is exhausted, and so on in rotation.

It will be observed that the number and arrangement of thesteam-cylinders and the manner in which the piston-rods are coupled tothe cranks of the shaft obviate the possibility of a dead-point, sinceone cylinder is always taking steam. The employment of a pair ofcylinders on each side, the piston-rods of opposite cylinders beingcoupled to the same crank of the shaft, as shown in Fig. 3, renderspracticable the use of single-acting cylinders and valve connections ofgreat simplicity. The crank-pit is entirely inclosed, rendering itdust-proof and enabling us to employ splash lubrication for the incloscdworking parts. The engine is easily handled, and the parts of which itiscomposed are exceedingly few in number.

\Ve have shown our pairs of steam-cylinders set at an angle of ninetydegrees with each other, since we consider that angle to be the one atwhich the highest working efficiency can be obtained; but we do not wishto be understood as confining ourselves in the arrangement of saidsteam-cylinders to this precise angle, as our engine might be almostequally efficient if the angle between the axes of the cylinders wassomewhat less or somewhat greater than ninety degrees.

\Vhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In combination, a double-crank shaft, a crank-pit casing inclosingsaid shaft, two pairs of single-acting cylinders mounted upon saidcrank-pit casing, the axes of one pair forming an angle of ninetydegrees with the axes of the other pair, a piston-head and piston-rod ineach cylinder connected directly to the cranks of said shaft, thepiston-rods of opposite cylinders being connected to the same crank, asliding eccentric mounted upon said shaft, a steam-chest mounted uponand communicating with each pair of cylinders, a slide-valve in eachsteam-chest, connecting means such as the parts 22, 23, 24, 25, 2G and27 whereby said valves may be actuated by said sliding eccentric, andmeans such as the collar 28 controlling said sliding eccentric,substantially as described.

2. In combination in a single-acting steamengine, the double-crank shaft2, the crank pit casing 1 inclosing said double crank shaft, thesingle-acting steam-cylinders 3, L, 5, and ('3 mounted upon saidcrank-pit casing; said cylinders being arranged in pairs, the cylinders3, 4 being parallel to each other, the cylinders 5, 6 being parallel toeach other and the axes of the pair 3, 4 forming an angle of ninetydegrees with the axes of the pair 5, 6, the piston-heads 11, 12, 13 and14, the piston-rods 16 and 18 connected directly to one crank of theshaft 2 and the pistonrods 17 and 15 connected directly to the othercrank of the shaft 2, the steam-chests 7 and 8, the slide-valves 19 and20, the sliding eccentric 21, the valve connections 22, 23, 24, 25, 213and 27 connecting said sliding eccentric with said slide-valves, meansforsupplying power to said cylinders and means for carrying off theexhaust from said cylinders, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILL J. LOOHIS. ARTHUR A. KARCIlER. \Vitncsscs:

CHARLES II. SPECKMAN, II. Bovnn ScnEnMERnonN.

